The Boston Celtics return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010 after beating the Miami Heat on the road 100-96 in Game 7 on Sunday night. Jayson Tatum led the way with 26 points, and Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart added 24 points each while the Celtics played the Golden State Warriors for the championship, starting with Thursday’s first game in San Francisco.
The Celtics wired and responded every time the Heat ran. Miami ran late and reduced the deficit to two points, but Boston managed to hold on to victory. Jimmy Butler did most of the offensive work for Miami, finishing with 35 points while playing the entire game. But Butler alone was unable to make it to the No. 1 Heat.
With the victory in Boston, Ime Udoka becomes the first rookie head coach in NBA history to win several 7 games; Boston beat the Bucks 109-81 in Game 7 prior to the Eastern Semifinals.
Here are three conclusions from Boston’s win over Miami in Game 7.
1. Tatum, i Brown i Smart, oh!
Tatum and Brown live for game 7. Don’t you believe me? Here is a statistic that will blow your mind. With Sunday night’s win, Tatum is now improving to a 4-1 record in Game 7, while Brown is now with a 5-1 record in Game 7. So it’s safe to say that these guys shine when the lights are brighter. Tonight was no different, as Brown and Tatum combined for 50 points. Add the 24 points from Smart and it’s pretty easy to see why the Celtics won this game. From the starting point it could be said that the Celtics wanted to come out aggressive, and while the Heat gave a scare to Boston in the last minutes of the game, it was the performances of Tatum, Brown and Smart that gave the victory to the C’s. .
It’s the exact kind of performance you want from your key players in a winning contest or going home, and the stars were out of Boston on the road. But not only the score was impressive of the three players. It was Smart and Brown’s defense of Butler not to bite his fake bomb and limit everyone else’s contributions to the Heat. It was Tatum’s play, a much improved skill we’ve seen of him this season, that led to 3s open on the corners of Boston. It could be seen that all the improvements these basic boys have been working on over the years have paid off in the most important match of their career tonight, and it happened that it led to a place in the final of the ‘NBA.
2. Jimmy against everyone
Butler played the entire 48 minutes and put everything in his performance to try and get the Heat to win. I think playing Butler playing the full game will probably be overlooked, but I don’t think there are many players in this league who can do what he did tonight. What’s even crazier made it seem easy. Butler looked as fast in the final minutes of the match as he did at the starting point, and to put the cherry on top of this crazy sundae he has also been dealing with a persistent knee injury.
Butler was masterful in his performance in Game 7. He reached the free throw line essentially whenever he wanted to, as Boston struggled to contain him for the second game in a row. He was fighting for rebounds, loose balls and playing Jimmy Butler’s basketball record all night without a break longer than a timeout.
Unfortunately, Butler’s performance was not enough, as he received minimal help outside of Bam Adebayo’s 25 points. Lowry also scored 15 points, but it really struck me as Butler’s show tonight, and in the end, that’s why the Heat lost the game. This is not at all surprising, given that Miami has gradually cooled down throughout this series, and when Tyler Herro tries to come back after losing three games and only plays six minutes, you are already at a disadvantage. Ironically, Max Strus’s shooting struggles also continued, and although he knocked down a crucial triple at the end of the game to reduce Boston’s lead to just a two-point lead, he ended the night with 2 for 7 in triples.
3. Horford will finally get a title
Horford had the record for most playoff games (141) played without reaching the NBA Finals. But with Boston winning tonight, that streak has been broken and the veteran striker will have his first chance at a championship. Horford has reached the playoffs 13 times in his 15-year career and has reached the conference finals three times, once with Atlanta and twice with Boston, before that, but has fallen short each time. But after years without reaching that point, Horford will have his first, and perhaps the best chance of a ring.
While the Celtics will face the Warriors who open up as favorites to win it all, this isn’t the same Golden State team from a few years ago that was embarrassing teams every night. While the Warriors did a quick job of the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Finals, the Celtics will feature a much tougher showdown for the Warriors in the Finals. Horford will play a crucial role in trying to make life difficult for the Warriors on defense, and if he continues to knock down 3s to a high level as it has been all postseason (45.6 percent), then he will put Boston in a good position. place to try to win a title for the first time since 2008.